I think it’s perhaps fair to say that this year has been the year that we’ve heard more about the Chinese manufacturers than we ever have done before and some of the phones coming out of China – like the newly announced Oppo Find 5 – are packing some of the best hardware we’ve seen. Regardless of whether they’re from China or not. One manufacturer that has always done a good job at actually shipping phones in the U.S. is ZTE.
While the devices that ZTE have shipped in the past have been traditionally budget minded affairs they’ve always been pretty good value and offered an okay experience at a decent price. When it comes to making handsets that’ll make you look twice though, ZTE aren’t that company. It’s a shame that ZTE can’t bring phones packing a little more to the States as competition to go up against Samsung, HTC and Motorola would be more than welcome.
Recently the Chinese manufacturer had secured a loan from the Chinese Government to the tune of $20 Billion, allowing them to to expand internationally. And that certainly means the U.S. – the company is going to invest a further $30 Million in the U.S. Market and it looks like the company has the right attitude to make a go of it in this crowded market. ZTE’s CEO – Lixin Cheng – had this to say in a statement:
“ZTE is committed to the U.S. market and we look forward to continuing our investment and leveraging local talent to bring new innovations to consumers. We have already established partnerships with major carriers in the U.S. and believe that these cross-border relationships will ignite the development of new communication technologies and enlarge the application scale of our joint innovations, thus helping us continue to provide affordable, environmentally friendly products that enable consumers around the world to connect in meaningful ways.”
The Chinese company was also keen to remind the press that they employ 300 people and that 80 per cent of them are in fact, American. They’ve probably felt such pressure to reassure the press that they’re in for the long haul when it comes to the U.S. market as a result of an investigation into their operations by the U.S. government earlier in the year. While the report found nothing untoward about the company’s operations there were findings to suggest vulnerabilities in ZTE’s network technology that are a cause for concern.
How do you feel about a Chinese manufacturer becoming a commercial force in the U.S. Wireless Industry?